America's Best-Rated Sculpture Park Is An Impressive Michigan Gem Where Art Lovers Will Thrive

Want to see exactly what it looks like when humankind and nature work together in perfect two-part harmony? The Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan, showcases art from generations of artists ranging from Victorians like Rodin and Degas to contemporary rule breakers like Ai Weiwei and Richard Serra, against a backdrop of extraordinary plant life. Fair warning: You may leave wondering how you ever thought seeing art in a blank white gallery was satisfying.

Grand Rapids might not be the first place that springs to mind when you think vacation destination, but it's less than an hour from world-class outdoor recreation, with the underrated Saugatuck Dunes State Park, and one of the best beaches in the U.S. at Grand Haven State Park. But what if you've got both artsy and indoors-y folks in your family? You can ring both those bells with a visit to Meijer Gardens. This attraction's 158 acres include English and Japanese gardens, woodlands, farmlands, a carnivorous garden, a children's interactive garden, and a tropical conservatory. Think of it as Disney World for art lovers and garden enthusiasts, a theme park that allows you to spend the day wandering from one fanciful, fantastical realm to another. No wonder it's one of the 30 most visited museums in the U.S., and regarded as one of the best sculpture parks in the world.

One of the first works to greet you as you step into the garden is puckish contemporary sculptor Tom Otterness's "Mad Mom," a cartoonish figure who stands on a pedestal, hands on hips, ready to scold you. She's just one of 200 works in the permanent collection. If you go with the flow, a curvilinear path will take you to a paved circle dominated by Nina Akamu's "The American Horse," a towering 24-foot tall figure (pictured) that's a modern tribute to Leonardo Da Vinci.

Eventually, you'll find yourself in a Victorian garden where you'll find Auguste Rodin's famed 1880 sculpture, "The Kiss." But along the way this garden is full of moments that bring unexpected delight, like Keith Haring's "Julia," a bright yellow abstraction that evokes the hip hop-inspired energy of the late New York artist's iconic graffiti from the 1980s. It's tucked away so that you come upon it unexpectedly.

Some works leverage the natural setting to dig deeper into the human experience. In Magdalena Abakanowicz's 1998 bronze, "Figure on a Trunk," a headless man stands tall and still amid wild grasses in front of a pond, his upright solemnity the Polish contemporary artist's commentary on the devastation of World War II. In summertime his quiet dignity is arresting, stopping you in your tracks along the garden path as he comes into view. In winter, when snow dusts his shoulders, the effect is even more powerful.

You may prefer to discover the gardens by strolling along on foot, map in hand, letting serendipity guide you, or you can hop on and off the narrated tram tour, so that you don't miss out on all the background lore.  Trams run every half-hour, and when you're finished wandering, there are lots of other ways to engage. An amphitheater hosts chamber music and local bands in fair weather, while an indoor lecture series brings notable artists, authors, and horticulturalists to the indoor stage, blending the twin inspirations of art and nature.

At the James and Shirley Balk Cafe you'll have a hard time choosing whether to take your locavore salad and Michigan craft beer outside on the terrace, or stay inside underneath "Lena's Garden," a magical Dale Chiluly glass sculpture that meanders across the ceiling in a gleaming, colorful riot of flowers, leaves and tendrils, every petal and frond hand-blown by the artist. Whether you're an aspiring artist, or gardener, or both, you can sign up for a class on how to forage for supplies in the wilderness to make your own botanical artist's inks, for example, or another on how to cultivate native plants for your own backyard art project. That backyard may not be big enough for a Rodin, but you can probably find some delightful garden art to take home, so definitely exit through the lovingly curated DeVos Keeler Gift Shop. And if you're looking to complete your creative vacation, consider overnighting on Michigan's "Art Coast," in Saugatuck, the Cape Cod of the Midwest, just 40 minutes away.